On a recent trip to Paris I ventured outside of the city to visit the cathedral in Chartres.  While I was there, I fell in love with this charming little town and couldn’t resist capturing some of the  examples I saw of  the French-country curb appeal

If you’re going for the “French country” look yourself, shutters at the windows are a definite “must have”.  They come in all colors but I found myself a bit partial to the French blue.

Window boxes adorning ALL the windows was another common element and almost every window box had geraniums aplenty for bloom.

Perhaps proximity to the Cathedral was the inspiration for these angel motifs above these shuttered windows (photo left).   I think they add a lovely touch to this home and don’t you love the iron work on the bottom half of 2 of the windows? [you can click on the photos to enlarge]

Of course, if you really want the full French country curb appeal be sure to surround your property with a large wooden or metal gated fence.   From the train window I saw beautiful  gardens with terraces in  front of many of these homes.  But these beautiful entries are hidden from casual passers-by at street level.  It seems that the French like their privacy, or perhaps they just enjoy that air of mystery that surrounds so many of the hidden courtyards in France  leaving the rest of us wondering just what we might find if we were invited through those big gates into their private homes and gardens.